Accra, Aug. 13, GNA – Mrs Comfort Ocran, the Executive Director of the Springboard Road Show Foundation, has reminded young people that they are not only the leaders of tomorrow but the changemakers of today.
She said, “The future is here, and the future starts now.”
Mrs Ocran gave the reminder, when she celebrated this year’s International Youth Day with young people in Accra, while reminding them that the day was more than a date on the calendar, but a call to action.
The 2025 celebration was on the theme: “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond.”
The event was used to launch the Teenpreneurship Bootcamp on the theme: “Next Is Now.”
She urged participants to take the global goals and make them real within their own communities.
Mrs Ocran said the programme, organised at no cost to its 300 participants, was designed to equip teenagers with the skills, mindset, and confidence to act immediately.
“By embracing entrepreneurship, innovation, and practical problem-solving today, these young people are not only investing in their own futures but also contributing directly to sustainable development and community transformation,” she added.
She said the second edition of Impact Stories under the Ghana Grows Programme, dubbed “Rays of Hope” was also unveiled.
These stories celebrate the resilience and achievements of young women and men transforming agriculture, breaking barriers, and creating local solutions with national and global relevance.
She said through the Ghana Grows Programme, over 448,000 young people had been impacted.
Notably, 76 per cent of participants are young women, and 1.91 per cent are persons with disabilities.
The Executive Director said 20,000 young people had secured jobs and sustainable livelihoods, while more than 2,400 Youth Ambassadors were trained to champion agriculture and entrepreneurship nationwide.
“In addition, the extended Empower 360 component of Ghana Grows has equipped over 1,116 young women with practical skills and provided 156 young participants with startup kits to launch their own businesses,” she said.
The Ghana Grows Programme is being implemented by the Mastercard Foundation in partnership with a consortium led by the Springboard Road Show Foundation.
It aims at highlighting the opportunities available in the extended value chain for agriculture, agribusiness and ATVET.
Mr. Joseph Boateng, Lead, Market to Impact at the Mastercard Foundation, said, “The SDGs are not distant targets set in boardrooms. They are lived realities in our villages, towns, and cities.”
He said as the world marked International Youth Day, “let us commit to moving from voice to impact, turning ideas into enterprises, passion into policy, and energy into enduring change.”
Reverend Albert Ocran, Technical Director of the Springboard Road Show Foundation, encouraged participants to take deliberate action to develop themselves.
“Inspiration without execution is only a dream. What you do today, the projects you start, the risks you take and the ideas you pursue, will define the world you live in tomorrow,” he said.
GNA
Christian Akorlie